San Jose Earthquakes fans should not get
up to adjust their TV set or hit refresh on their browser window
Saturday if
they see something they can’t believe during the Quakes’ exhibition
match
against Tottenham Hotspur.

It won’t be a problem with your satellite feed or a glitch
in the wireless router: Eduardo is expected to suit up and take the
field for
the Quakes.

The 30-year-old Brazilian forward was one of the Quakes’
biggest signings in the offseason, but he’s been dogged by a variety of
injuries and clocked only 31 minutes of MLS play, making his lone
appearance two-and-a-half months ago.

“I hope on Saturday we’ll get some minutes out of him, in
some capacity,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop told MLSsoccer.com. “We’ve had
enough
injuries with him, we’ve just got to make sure we protect him a little
bit.
We’re trying to get him to the point where he’s fit to play.”

Yallop said Eduardo was unlikely to play Thursday against
the Los Angeles Galaxy, but could make his return to league play on July
31 at
home against Seattle – assuming, of course, that Eduardo stays healthy.

In any case, with the MLS midseason transfer window
officially open, San Jose are keeping an eye out for help, especially to
shore
up an inexperienced central midfield that lost Brazilian veteran Andre
Luiz to
knee surgery last month. The team worked out MLS veterans Pablo
Ricchetti and
Tiger Fitzpatrick during the World Cup break, but is currently looking
in other
directions.

“We’re still looking," Yallop said. "We’re not sitting still. We’re
looking at players as we speak, and if they’re better than what we have,
then we’re interested in having them. But we have some good players.
That’s why
we’re not panicking and doing deals that are not right, long-term.
Hopefully,
if we do a deal, we’re going to do one that makes the team better in
certain
areas.”

Getting Eduardo healthy could alone be considered a transfer-window
reinforcement.

”A player of his caliber, he’s done a lot in his career and
he can help us a lot,” Quakes rookie defender Ike Opara said. “We’re
looking forward to
it. It’s like getting an offseason acquisition immediately, whenever
he’s back
and healthy. I think he can help the team out in ways that people
haven’t seen
yet.”

Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He
can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com. On Twitter: @sjquakes